RS

MEMBER DIARY

Immigration

Where we win or lose

I hear a lot of our party leaders barking at each other over this issue and I understand both sides and even agree with each side whole heartedly. How can you wink at someone entering this country illegally? They are, after all, breaking the law. And I agree, they are. Yet when the law becomes so ridiculous, then it becomes irrelevant. I think immigration is in such a state. Those who come here legally face enormous challenges, physical, emotional, and financial. Let’s be honest, if my children were in danger from drug smugglers or dictators, and I could not afford the cost of a Visa, you can bet that I would become a criminal and smuggle my children to a brighter future. And let’s be real, isn’t that what America is about at it’s core? Our Founders themselves were deemed “criminals”. I just don’t think you can label people seeking freedom and opportunity as criminals in the normal sense of the word.

But even if you don’t agree with me, let’s be real….this election was close enough that the Hispanic vote could be termed “the swing vote” and we all know, without any doubts, that that is going to be the case for years to come. What is baffling to me is that we have allowed the Democrats to take a group of people that are naturally conservative and liberalize them. They are family oriented! They came here to work! Yet Republicans don’t reach out, or worse, we turn them away or deport them, putting them (and their families) in the Democrat column for life. The Democrats meet them at the border with a list of entitlements they should apply for, effectively getting them into our welfare system and creating liberal converts for generations to come. Republicans need to be meeting them at the border with an invitation to learn about capitalism and how it can help them achieve the American Dream. We need to recognize RIGHT NOW, that children who were born here, educated here, speak English as a first language, and want to stay here….should have an immediate path to citizenship. When we, as a party, deport these children, we have just created an eternal enemy and alienated their family and friends. It no longer matters how they feel about fiscal responsibility, abortion, or entitlements, we denied them what mattered most. We can be hard headed about this, and end up in oblivion, or we can be pro-active and cultivate a new generation of Hispanic conservatives.